Hearty Cheese Dip

Recipe name: Hearty Cheese Dip
Source: Adapted from recipe on allrecipes.com
Servings: Lots
Cookbook date: November 22

Ingredients
1 (2 pound) loaf processed cheese, cubed
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2/3 cup water
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce

Directions
Place ground beef in a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain beef, and mix in water and taco seasoning mix. Cook and stir 2 to 4 minutes. Slowly melt cheese in the skillet. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Mix in salsa. Cook and stir until well blended. Serve warm.

I created this dish while Tiffany was away volunteering for the Junior League on Saturday. It didn't take long to put together and was just the thing for a cold winter day. I'm not a huge fan of processed cheese so I halved the amount called for in the recipe and added "real" cheese for the other half. We didn't have any taco seasoning so I created my own from a recipe on allrecipes.com.

We had this with tortilla chips and we both liked it. So now we have two pounds of cheese dip in the fridge. That is a lot of dip. I know what I'm eating for lunch for the next week.

Super Yummy Appetizer

Recipe name: Chicken Enchilada Dipp
Source: Simply Tasty
Servings: 8-10 (as an appetizer)
Cookbook date: November 15

Chicken Enchilada Dip

2 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
2 8oz packages of light cream cheese, softened
4 green onions, chopped
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped dried cilantro
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika

In a non-reactive bowl, combine all ingredients. (Stacey recommends a food processor so the chicken pieces are really small, making it easier to dip. Or you can just shred with forks if you like the chicken pieces bigger.) Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.


This is yet another fantastic recipe from Stacey over at Simply Tasty. We made this at our election party a few weeks ago. It was great to serve a heavier appetizer that was out of the ordinary. I would definitely recommend this for your next dinner party, any large family gathering, or a Super Bowl party! If you are the host or hostess, the dip is especially great because it comes together quickly, and you can make it a few hours (or even a day) ahead of time.

Chinese Chicken lettuce wraps

Recipe name: Chinese chicken lettuce wraps
Source: adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen
Servings: 2-3
Cookbook date: September 27

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

• 2-3 tbsp oil, sesame or peanut are nice
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 4 oz mushrooms
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts (optional)
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar, I use dark
• iceberg lettuce leaves

1. Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over high heat.
2. Break up and brown the ground chicken.
   
3. Mince all of the vegetables-mushrooms with garlic. You also might want to run your knife through your cooked chicken as well to get the pieces more uniformly sized, you want everything to be texturally at the same fine mince.
4. In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar. You could also add some red pepper flakes if you want a little spice..
5. Add your vegetables to the chicken and saute until onions and garlic soften.
6. Add the sauce and cook and toss for an additional couple minutes. Taste and adjust your salt and seasonings.
7. Serve with plenty of iceberg leaf “cups.”

Thanks to Chaos in the Kitchen for posting such a fun recipe. If anyone has ever been to P.F. Chang's, you know that lettuce wraps is a signature of theirs. We really enjoyed having our own version at home for a fraction of the price.

Our substitutions/additions: We used ground turkey, and the taste was awesome. I also shredded 4 baby carrots and sliced 1 green onion to add a little bit of color. We used water chestnuts which I finely diced, and we left out the mushrooms, because we believe that mushrooms are nasty.

I made this while Tim was out running errands, and I was glad to have the opportunity to sneak in water chestnuts, which he doesn't like, in general. When he tried the wraps he immediately asked, "What is the crunchy stuff in here?" I made him tell me first if he liked it, which he said he did (!) and then I revealed the secret ingredient. He wrinkled his nose up, and then confessed that water chestnuts were a good thing in this dish. Victory for Tiffany!

chicken meatballs

Recipe name: chicken meatballs
Source: Meet me in the kitchen
Servings: 4-6


Finger-Picking Chicken Balls adapted from Annabel Karmel's Lunch Boxes and Snacks

Makes about 20 chicken balls

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated

2 small, skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp parsley

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 Tbls boiling water

salt and black pepper

flour for coating

1 Tbsp canola oil

cooking spray

Using your hands, squeeze out some of the excess liquid from the grated apple. Put the apple, chicken, onion, parsley, thyme, bread crumbs, and chicken bouillon into a food processor. Process until a smooth mixture forms a ball. Season with a little salt and pepper.

With your hands, form the mixture into about 20 balls, roll in flour, and fry in the oil for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden and cooked through. Serve with your favorite condiment, such as ketchup or honey mustard.

Thanks to Meet Me in the Kitchen for posting this dish. I thought that these were good overall, though the next time I make these I'll only use half of an onion. The sweetness from the apple took a little getting used to, but I'm always a fan of finding ways to sneak in an extra fruit or vegetable serving. My only other complaint about the meal was that I thought they were a little pungent. I noticed that my entire refrigerator smelled like these meatballs the next day! While these aren't making my OMG list of recipes, I'll keep this especially in mind the next time we have guests with children.

Pumpkin fruit dip

Recipe name: Pumpkin Fruit Dip
Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks
Servings: 8 (ish)


I had some canned pumpkin and some plain yogurt sitting in my refrigerator with no purpose this week. Basically, they were just sitting around waiting to expire. Then I read a post by The Pioneer Woman Cooks that gave lots of ideas for uses of plain yogurt. One suggestion had a fruit dip that used yogurt and pumpkin puree. Perfect!

Here's what I did:
Combine roughly equal parts of plain yogurt and canned pumpkin. Add powdered sugar to taste (I was making a rather large batch of dip, so I believe I used at least 3 tbsp of powdered sugar). Combine together with a spoon or spatula and chill.
I have some apples in the crisper drawer that I'm going to use with this dip. I can't wait!

Hot Corn Dip

Recipe name: Hot corn dip
Source: Closet Cooking
Cookbook date: August 18
Servings: 4


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears corn)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup yellow onion (chopped)
1/4 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
1 jalapeño (chopped)
2 teaspoons garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 handful Monterey jack (grated)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 handful sharp cheddar (grated)

Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a pan.
2. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper and saute until the corn starts to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a pan.
4. Add the onion, and pepper and saute until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the green onions, jalapeño and garlic and saute until softened, about 2 minutes.
6. Mix the corn, onions, peppers, mayonnaise, Monterey jack and cayenne in a bowl.
7. Pour the mixture into an 8x8 inch baking pan and top with the cheddar cheese.
8. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until bubbling and golden brown on top, about 10-20 minutes.

Please check out the blog Closet Cooking, where I snagged this recipe. Also, check out his fabulous picture of the dish. It was excellent! This appetizer is not for you if you aren't a fan of the mayo, because I thought that flavor came out rather strong. We served this to company last night and I think they enjoyed it. It is very colorful and therefore, a lovely thing to serve to company. I agree with Kevin that this could also serve as the main dish if you are feeling a little too tired to cook several things for a meal.

I'm so sorry that I'm doing such a bad job of loading pictures. I can't find the cord that connects the camera to the computer at the moment, which is very very bad. Wish me luck in finding it soon!

Ham and Cheese Bites

Recipe name: Ham and cheese bites
Source: adapted from Land O' Lakes
Servings: 24-28 individual bites
Cookbook date: August 9


1 cup mild cheese of any type, shredded
3/4 cup finely chopped deli ham
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp sliced green onions
1 tbsp horseradish
24-48 plain triscuits or wheat thins

Stir together all ingredients except crackers in a small bowl. Spread 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of mixture on each cracker. Place on a microwave-safe plate; microwave on HIGH 10-15 seconds or until cheese begins to melt.

I waited to make this appetizer until Tim was out of town, as he would gag eating this on account of the mayo and horseradish. Personally, I thought it was quite a tasty appetizer, and I would definitely serve this at a party. As a person who thinks appetizers can make a dinner when eaten in large quantities, I would also make this again for myself the next time the cat's away!

I used this to chop all the ingredients, and it totally worked, even on the ham!